The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what compensation claims have been received by the government of St Helena as a result of the delay in opening the airport to commercial traffic, and how those claims are being dealt with.
Lord Bates
As far as we are aware, the St Helena Government has not received any claims for compensation following the identification of wind shear at St Helena Airport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to business rate relief on the charity sector.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Government is continuing to consider representations, including on business rates reliefs, to inform decisions on reform of the business rates system. The Government has confirmed the review will conclude by the end of the year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 18261, if she will make an assessment of the net contribution to the UK economy made by immigration from Australia, Canada and New Zealand in the last five years before proceeding with her Department’s proposals to restrict access to Tier 2 visas for Australian and New Zealand citizens.
James Brokenshire
There are no plans to introduce Tier 2 restrictions specifically aimed at Australian, New Zealand and/or Canadian citizens.
The Government has commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and jobs which require highly-specialised experts, but with sufficient flexibility to include high value roles and key public service workers. The MAC is looking at selection criteria such as, but not limited to, salaries, particular attributes, economic need and skills level. The Government has asked the MAC to consider the economic impact of potential changes.
The MAC is still finalising its report and we do not yet know what its findings and recommendations will be. We await the report with interest and will consider the potential economic impacts carefully before making any significant changes to the Tier 2 route.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-01-22.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessments he has made of the effect of the level of the current account deficit on the future strength of the pound sterling.
Harriett Baldwin
The widening in the UK current account deficit in recent years has been driven by a deterioration in the UK’s net investment income from abroad, while the trade deficit has continued to improve. The Office for Budget Responsibility expect factors that have depressed the returns on the UK’s net assets, such as the relative weakness in economic activity in the UK’s trading partners, to recede. The current account deficit is forecast to narrow to -2.1 per cent by 2020, limiting any impact on the exchange rate. Furthermore, the government’s plan to complete the repair of the public finances will support a gradual narrowing of the current account deficit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time between (a) offence commission and charge, (b) charge and first court appearance and (c) first court appearance to sentencing or acquittal was for all completed sexual offence cases in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.
Mike Penning
Our courts system is in need of urgent reform, which is why we have committed to building a justice system that is swifter and more certain.
We are investing £700 million over the next five years to create a more effective service. We will utilise modern technology to meet the needs of everyone who uses our services.
MOJ do not hold figures on dates of sentencing or acquittals and have instead provided the time from first listing to completion.
The age of a victim is only known where specified as part of the wording of an offence in statute. Figures for sexual offences cases where the victim was a minor are based on cases where the victim was known to be a minor, and figures where the victim was an adult include cases where the age of the victim was not known.
Data included in the attached tables.
Table 1 – the average duration from offence to charge, from charge to first listing, and from first listing to completion for sexual offences cases in Greater Manchester LCJB and in England and Wales, for cases completing in 2013, 2014 and January to September 2015.
Table 2 – the average duration (days) between offence to charge, charge to first listing, and first listing to completion for sexual offence cases completed in England and Wales where the victim was a minor or an adult, 2013 to Q1-Q3 2015.
Table 3 – the average durations for sexual offences cases in England and Wales. These are an update of Tables 5.1 and 5.2 in the ‘Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales’ publication. Figures are for the last 12 months available, from October 2014 to September 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2016-03-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of those individuals who previously claimed a motability allowance under the Disability Living Allowance and have lost that allowance after being reassessed for Personal Independence Payments, have (1) appealed that decision, and (2) succeeded at appeal.
Lord Faulks
The First-tier Tribunal – Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service hears appeals against decisions by the Department for Work and Pensions on a range of benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Information about the number and success rates of SSCS appeals by benefit type, including PIP, is published in the Tribunal and Gender Recognition Certificate Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report can be located on the government website.
The specific information requested is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants from across all Government departments and at what grade have been seconded to the Cabinet Office Referendum Unit.
John Penrose
I refer my right hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice and Howden and the hon. Member for Clacton to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for St Albans on 18 April 2016 to UIN: 32678.
The cost of the secretariat, including the Referendum Unit, will be accounted for in the Department’s annual report and accounts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a decision on the proposed conversion of Class 801 Intercity Express Programme units to bi-mode diesel operation.
Claire Perry
Following the receipt of a formal proposal from Agility Trains West Ltd, My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport has now approved the conversion of the 21 Class 801 Intercity Express Programme units scheduled for deployment on the Great Western to bi-mode operation. This will enable passengers in the South West and Wales to benefit as soon as possible from brand new trains which will deliver more capacity and more comfort. The first 36 trains will be bi-mode as planned.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-07-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the call by Amnesty International for an investigation into the missile attack on Camp Liberty on 4 July.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We strongly condemn the attack against the civilian residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq on 4 July. We are aware of Amnesty International’s call for an investigation into the attack and we have publically called on the Government of Iraq to investigate the attack and bring the attackers to justice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 19 September (HL1756), how many British nationals they estimate are long-term residents in Italy; how many UK consular offices there are in Italy; when those consular offices ceased renewing passports for British nationals; how many renewals there were in the last year during which this service was provided; and how many emergency travel documents the Rome or Milan offices have issued in the past year.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns